Review of Park Hyatt Tokyo
Now I’ve completely blown my “street cred” as a serious cheapskate by paying $425 a night to stay at the Park Hyatt Tokyo. But you know what? If I ever have that much money burning a hole in my pocket again, I would stay there again in a minute, even at those crazy prices.
It truly is an amazing hotel. It’s not ornate or fancy. The atmosphere in the public spaces and the guest rooms is quiet, contemplative and understated. The decor is Zen-like. Original artwork adorns the walls. If you like glitz and glamor, this is not the place for you. If you enjoy simple elegance, you will adore the Park Hyatt Tokyo.
Our room was very large, even by American standards, and decorated in a restful monochromatic design. There was something so soothing and meditative about it that I could feel any stress ebbing away each time we returned “home” from our explorations of Tokyo.The low carpet and silk-covered headboard and footboard were a dark green. Walls were beige slubbed silk and grained wood panels. The drapes were cream with a very subtle woven green thread in them. The oversized king bed (wider than our king bed at home) was comfortable and covered with a perfectly ironed white cotton duvet, which was changed daily.
A black lacquered wall unit dominated the long wall across from the bed, and contained a 42″ flat screen plasma television, a small refrigerator full of soft drinks, beer and wine, plus cupboards containing glassware, snack items, an extensive selection of liquor in a backlighted display, and equipment for making coffee and tea. (Complimentary freshly ground coffee, green tea and English tea were provided daily.) A lower cabinet contained a fax machine.Two comfortable upholstered chairs and an ottoman were slip-covered in a textured cream-and-black fabric. The desk was large, glass-topped and had two beige-lacquered chairs. Concealed in a wall unit built in next to the desk was the equipment necessary to provide free high-speed Internet access.
To the right of the entry door was a walk-in closet with plenty of storage for our bags. There were drawers and shelves for clothing and shoes, a large safe and a beautiful rattan basket containing a note inviting us to put our shoes out for shining.
One of the drawers contained two crisply-pressed yukata (cotton robes) and two pair of brand-new slippers. I discovered during our stay that each time I used one of the yukata, it disappeared and a new one immediately replaced it in the drawer. The slippers weren’t taken away, but new ones showed up in the drawer, too.
Accessible through solid wood sliding doors, both from the closet and the main part of the room, was a fabulous bathroom. The centerpiece was a large bathtub surrounded with granite. Over the tub was an original artwork.On one side of the tub was a large glass-enclosed shower with European-style fittings, and on the other side of the tub was the high-tech toilet, which was enclosed by frosted-glass walls.
What do I mean by a “high-tech toilet,” you ask? Like many top Japanese hotels, the Park Hyatt Tokyo has “washlet” toilets that offer an array of electronic controls on a side arm next to the bowl. The seat is heated, and you can control the temperature. The toilet also incorporates a bidet/water spray, warm air drying system, and deodorizer. As an American, I must admit the Japanese have definitely surpassed us in the toilet technology field!
On the other side of the bathroom — across a checkerboard floor of marble tiles — was a granite sink flanked by two glass-topped vanities. Mirrors ran across this entire wall. A lovely rattan basket and a small black lacquer box contained every bathroom amenity you could want, such as toothbrush, razor, q-tips, etc. Above the sink on a high shelf was a small plasma television set and DVD player, so that you could watch television while soaking in the tub.
Fine. So the hotel has high-end accoutrements and a pleasant decor. So why is it worth $425 a night?
In a word, service. I have never experienced anything like it before in my life, and we’ve stayed in some top-notch hotels around the world.
We arrived on the Limo Bus after dark. As we stepped off the bus, a pleasant young woman in the elegantly tailored black uniform of the hotel was waiting for us. She asked our name, immediately found it on her list, and without hesitation began collecting our luggage and stacking it on a cart. It was completely apparent that she was going to handle the bags and take good care of us. She whisked us through the front lobby, up the elevator, past the Peak Lounge and Girondale Restaurant, through the library (which is stocked with over 2000 books on art, architecture and film) and to the guest lobby on the 41st floor.
A concierge, who somehow already knew our name, was waiting at a private desk to complete the minimal formalities of signing in and handing over our credit card for an imprint. He inquired whether we needed the Limo Bus for our return, and offered to arrange that for us and charge it to our room. He gave us vouchers for each morning’s continental breakfast and for the afternoon tea.
Then the same woman who had greeted us took us up one floor in the private elevator that goes to the guest rooms, let us into our room, showed us where things were located, and put our bags away in the wardrobe.She pressed a button by the bed that opened the drapes and for the first time we saw our view. To say it was stunning is an understatement. There were lights as far as you could see, and on the streets below there was constant movement. The view gave us such an incredible perspective on the city that it’s hard to describe.
Our bellhop pointed out the small box of complimentary chocolates that had been left as a welcome gift, handed over our room key (not a key card — an actual metal key, on a Tiffany key ring) and politely took her leave.
During our stay, every time we took that same walk — down the private guest elevator, through the guest lobby, the library, past the all-day restaurant and bar, down the public elevator to the main lobby — every single staff member stopped what he or she was doing, made eye contact, smiled and greeted us. That meant many greetings on each pass through the hotel, and they all seemed totally sincere and friendly.
It turned out that our free Continental breakfast was much more than we had expected. Every morning in the lovely Girondale restaurant, we were greeted by at least two impeccably-uniformed staff members and seated immediately at a table covered in immaculate white linen. Upon presenting our vouchers, we were told that we could choose the full-service Continental breakfast (coffee or tea, juice and a selection of breads and pastries, normally priced at ¥2100, which is about $18.68) or the self-service Continental breakfast buffet, normally costing ¥2800 (about $24.90) each.
We were served our choice of coffee or tea and any fresh-squeezed juice we liked, and then we usually had the buffet, though one day Mike had Eggs Benedict and another day I ordered the full American breakfast. The value of our voucher was applied toward the hot breakfasts.
The buffet included at least ten types of bread, croissants and pastries (which changed daily), a fruit tart and cake, various cereals, three types of yogurt, muesli, bowls of dried fruit and nuts, at least six different fresh fruits, and an assortment of cold cuts and cheeses, plus salad and sliced tomatoes. Everything was excellent and beautifully presented. The fruit and tomatoes were perfectly ripe; we can’t get produce of that quality at any price in our supermarket at home. The delicious breads, tarts, cakes and pastries, which were as good as I’ve had in Paris, were baked daily downstairs and many of the same items were sold in a French bakery on the 2nd floor at an average of ¥300-¥400 ($2.67-$3.56) per piece.
Service during the meal was astoundingly attentive, yet unobtrusive. If we got up to visit the buffet, someone was immediately at the table, carefully folding our napkin over the chair, straightening up and removing dishes. I often ordered tea, as much for the elaborate service as for the quality of the tea, which was excellent. A tea order was not a simple tea order. You could select from a variety of teas and the tea was loose-leaf, brought to the table in a cute little pot with a silver strainer and separate pots containing extra hot water and milk. Add in the lovely pastries and it was equivalent to a fine afternoon tea service.
Speaking of which, we did take advantage of the free afternoon tea that was included (and which would normally cost ¥4400, which is over $39, per person). One afternoon at around 4:00 we went down to the Peak Lounge, where we were politely offered a table at the 41st floor windows overlooking the city. After selecting from a huge variety of teas (I had Assam — Mike had a special hazelnut cream tea), a three-tiered silver server was brought to the table. It contained tea sandwiches, small cakes and cookies, chocolate truffles, tiny bowls of delectable fruit, custard and other delights. We began enjoying this extensive and impressive assortment.
But wait, it turned out there was more! The staff came through every ten minutes or so with additional items. There were little wedges of flatbread with caviar, tiny bowls of trifle, smoked salmon on toast… I lost track. We took only a few things from the trays they brought, because there was so much on our table already. We were repeatedly encouraged to try additional selections of tea. Although the tea service was supposed to end at 5:00, they didn’t rush us at all and we saw many other tables also lingering well past that time. Needless to say, we didn’t bother with dinner the evening after this sumptuous tea.
The housekeeping was so discreet that during our ten days in the hotel, I only saw housekeeping staff in the hallways a few times. Our room was equipped with an electronic “do not disturb” indicator. One day I wasn’t feeling up to going out, so we stayed in the room all day. We left the “do not disturb” sign on. In the early afternoon we received a very tentative phone call just to make sure we hadn’t left the sign on in error. When we said we didn’t need the room made up, we received an apology and we were not bothered for the rest of the day.
Assuming the “do not disturb” sign was not selected, our room was serviced twice a day, and the evening service went beyond a simple turn-down. Even in the evening, towels and yukata were replaced and the room was tidied. A bottle of water and tall glass were left by each side of the bed each evening. On a couple of occasions we were in the room during the evening service with the “do not disturb” sign turned on, and a small card was put under the door offering to service the room at our convenience, if we wanted it.
When we called down to the desk to ask for something (such as an iron and ironing board), it was brought immediately — almost before I could put the phone down! Notes were passed under the door about our Limo Bus reservation (which was taken care of within hours after check-in) and we were informed in the same way, very apologetically, about the slightest inconvenience we might experience. For example, one day the hotel left us a note informing us that the window exteriors would be washed beginning at 9:00 am the next day, and it was recommended that we keep our drapes closed for privacy if we would be in the room.
Any time we asked a staff member for information or assistance, the impression we received was that this person could not do enough for us. Staff members dropped everything and gave us their full attention and their utmost effort. It was like Disney, only better.
What makes this level of service all the more astonishing is that there is no tipping in Japan. Not only is tipping not expected, it is actually considered somewhat insulting. However, the Park Hyatt, like most luxury hotels in Tokyo, does add a 10% service charge to your room rate.
By the way, the gracious service was not confined to our hotel. We had fantastic service everywhere we went in Japan! And if there is any way I can ever get back, we WILL be returning to Japan, so this turns out not to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
If I can afford the Park Hyatt next time, I’ll be tempted to stay there, because it is certainly fabulous and we were very pampered. But there are lots of nice hotels in Tokyo, most of which are much less expensive. So don’t be put off by the price of the Park Hyatt — you don’t have to pay anywhere near that much to have a nice stay in Tokyo.